Redknapp claims Arsenal and Chelsea handed mismatches

onSeptember 18, 2010

Harry Redknapp, manager of Champions League new boys Tottenham has called for the a revamp of the competition, even if it means that Tottenham end up losing out in the long run.

Redknapps complaints appear to centre around the format and the fact that the big teams are seeded in the group stages, thus creating mismatches, which according to The White Hart Lane supremo is exactly what happened with Arsenal and Chelsea.

“What total mismatches. Surely this means clubs like Braga and MSK Zilina do not have the right to share the same pitch as teams like Arsenal and Chelsea?”

Maybe he is right, however Braga did knock out Sevilla and surely Redknapp would not call a Arsenal V Sevilla or Chelsea V Sevilla game a mismatch.

Redknapp also questioned the entertainment value of the current format claiming,

“Six guaranteed ties before December is all very well but is it the entertainment spectacle dreamed of in the early 1990s when the old European Cup was revamped?

“For most teams involved, it is going through motions. The system of seeding makes sure there are few, if any, upsets so the big names more often than not make it through to the last 16 in February when things finally get interesting.”

Redknapp should be careful for what he wishes for though, if the powers that be ever decided to go right back to the original format, Champions only, then what chance would Spurs ever have of being in the competition at all.